Promoter Claims Alycia Baumgardner Never Wanted To Fight Claressa Shields

Dmitry Salita the promoter of Claressa Shields claims Alycia Baumgardner never wanted to fight her client.

Baumgardner is coming off a decision win over Christina Linardatou back in July to improve to 15-1. Since then, she has talked about wanting to box Shields, but Salita says that isn’t the case at all as behind closed doors, he claims Baumgardner has no interest in the fight.

“Alycia is out there speaking complete nonsense, going on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast, talking about fighting Claressa,” Salita said to BoxingScene. “It is like Manny Pacquiao challenging Mike Tyson. It is so ridiculous – it is not real. And people that don’t really know boxing or follow women’s boxing, they just see names. They don’t understand weight classes, [but] they think about it and talk about it… I’ve known Alycia for a long time – like way, way before. We have always invited her to fights. I am not one to say anything negative…

“It is all talk,” Salita said of Baumgardner’s desire for a Shields fight. “It is a way to make herself relevant, and the way she has gone about it has not been classy.”

Whether or not that actually is the case is uncertain, but for fans, many are hoping Baumgardner and Shields will end up fighting very soon in a critical fight for women’s boxing.

Alycia Baumgardner is 15-1 as a pro and coming off the win over Linardatou. Before that, she scored a decision win over Elhem Mekhaled. Baumgardner is the current WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring female super featherweight champion. She also holds notable wins over Mikaela Mayer and Edith Soledad Matthysse.

Do you think we see Alycia Baumgardner vs. Claressa Shields in 2024?